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DNF: Lost in Arcadia by Sean Gandert
Lost in Arcadia
written by Sean Gandert
published by 47North, 2017
find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads
Where I stopped reading: I only made it ~20% through this book before I had to put it down and walk away.
Why I stopped reading: This book just didn’t work. From the beginning I couldn’t tell if this was supposed to be an alternate reality, a statement about our current society, or just plain fiction. Every chapter is told from a different point of view. I usually like this type of narration; however, this book doesn’t execute it well. There are so many different characters and too many seemingly disjointed plots–it’s impossible to follow. The language is also incredibly foul. I’m not particularly opposed to cursing in books, but this book is over the top. The language doesn’t add to the story, it’s a distraction. The lack of plot, the disorganized chapters, and the foul language all add up to an unbearable read. Definitely skip this one.
What others have rated this book: According to Goodreads, the average rating for Lost in Arcadia is 2.65 stars. It looks like a majority of readers gave this book 3 stars. Amazon’s reviews averaged 2.3 stars. There were no reviews at Barnes & Noble. Just because I didn’t finish this book doesn’t mean you won’t.
About the book – from Goodreads: The brainchild of reclusive genius Juan Diego Reyes, Arcadia is a wickedly immersive, all-encompassing social-media platform and virtual-reality interface. Although Arcadia has made the Reyes family fabulously wealthy, it’s left them—and the rest of the country—impoverished of that rare currency: intimacy. When Juan Diego mysteriously vanishes, the consequences shatter the lives of the entire Reyes clan.
As matriarch Autumn struggles to hold the family together, siblings Gideon, Holly, and Devon wrestle with questions of purpose and meaning—seeking self-worth in a world where everything has been cheapened. Outside the artificial safety of Arcadia, America has crumbled into an unrecognizable nation where a fundamentalist ex-preacher occupies the Oval Office, megacorporations blithely exploit their full citizenship, and a twenty-foot-high Great Wall of Freedom plastered with lucrative advertising bestrides the US-Mexican border.
In a polarized society now cripplingly hooked on manufactured highs, the Reyes family must overcome the seduction of simulation to find the kind of authentic human connection that offers salvation for all.
6 Comments
by feeroberts64
I have a question. How do you mark the books on Goodreads when you don’t finish? I’ve just been leaving them on my currently reading list, but it’s getting full! I need another way to handle my DNFs.
by TheEveryFreeChanceReader
I set up a new shelf labeled DNF. Go to “My Books,” then click the “edit” button next to “Bookshelves” and add/create your new shelf.
by feeroberts64
I made a DNF shelf, now do I mark the book as to-read or read because it’s still on my currently reading. I know I’m being a pain, but thank you so much 🙂
by TheEveryFreeChanceReader
If you clicked the “edit” button next to the main “Bookshelves” heading on your “My Books” tab and added the DNF shelf there, you should be able to just choose the DNF shelf. However, if you used the “add shelf” button below the “Bookshelves” heading, you will have to choose an additional shelf (to-read or read).
by feeroberts64
Thank you so much 🙂
by TheEveryFreeChanceReader
Anytime! =)